egészségedre
[ˈɛɡeːʃːeːɡɛdrɛ]
The Hungarian way to say "bless you" is egészségedre.
egészségedre is used as an interjection to react when someone sneezes. It is the most common way to say "bless you" in Hungary.
Meaning: said to somebody who has sneezed (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a combination of egészség (health) and the suffix -edre (to/onto your [singular/informal]), literally meaning "to your health".
How does it change in a sentence?
While egészségedre is used for singular informal address, you should use egészségére to mean "to your health" when speaking to someone formally or to a group of people.
When do people say it?
When someone says egészségedre to you after you sneeze, the standard response is to say köszönöm (thank you).
Did you know?
- In a restaurant, you will hear the exact same word egészségedre (or its formal version) shouted when someone says 'Cheers!' during a toast.
- In very traditional or old-fashioned settings, some people might respond to a sneeze with Isten éltesse, which literally asks God to keep the person alive.
- The word egészség shares a root with the adjective egész, which means 'whole' or 'entire', implying that health is a state of being complete.
Examples in context
- – Hapci! – Egészségedre! – Kösz!"Achoo." "Bless you." "Thanks."This example shows a short dialogue where one person says "Achoo", another says egészségedre and the response is "Thanks."Tatoeba #5182825 by maaster, translation #1896429 by marcelostockle
- Egészségedre!Bless you!This example shows the standalone exclamation egészségedre.Tatoeba #4320738 by bandeirante, translation #434328 by lukaszpp
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
László and Katalin are sitting in a quiet library.
- Katalin*Achoo!**Achoo!*
- LászlóEgészségedre, Katalin!Bless you, Katalin!
- KatalinKöszönöm, László.Thank you, László.
- LászlóMinden rendben van?Is everything okay?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bless you” translations and entries egészségedre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
